


to fall together.

by ohlawsons



Series: mass effect fic [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 2,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8143132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohlawsons/pseuds/ohlawsons
Summary: the galaxy keeps bringing them back to each other, but it isn't meant to last.a collection of drabbles and mini-fics covering all three games.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in the process of backing up the fic I have posted on tumblr, and decided to go ahead and post all my delilah fic here. mostly atm it's just short prompt responses, and there's a decent mix of ship stuff and delilah-centric stuff. 
> 
> as a heads-up/warning, I headcanon that miranda spends at least part of me3 aboard the normandy, though I haven't yet worked out the exact timeline/circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _prompt: things you said at 1am_  
>  set mid/late ME2

“This was a good idea.”

“Mmm.” Giving Miranda’s hand a light squeeze, Delilah placed a light kiss to her exposed shoulder. Letting her lips linger for a moment, she asked, “Even though we have to be up in a few hours and you didn’t finish that report you were working on?”

“I can forgive you, this once.” Miranda sat up straight, stretching her arms above her head. “The movie was nice. As… was the company. But I should–” She stifled a yawn.

“Stay?” Delilah finished for her. She wrapped her arms around Miranda’s waist, holding her close. “Please?”

“I… don’t think that’s a good idea, Commander.” Miranda stood, pulling herself away from Delilah. “Maybe…” Her fingers tugged on the neckline of the too-large Cerberus t-shirt she wore. “Maybe when this is all over.”

Delilahs’ heart sunk with disappointment, but she simply nodded and stood. “I understand. See you in the morning?”

“Of course.” Taking Delilah’s hands in hers, Miranda tilted her face up for a soft goodnight kiss. “Goodnight, Commander.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _prompt: too loud_  
>  set in London

Another deep _boom_ of an explosion tore through the air, leaving Delilah's ears ringing. Rubble shook off the buildings, sending both her and Ashley scrambling into the open streets.

As they recovered, Delilah forced out a raspy laugh. "Hell of a time to say goodbye, right?"

Ash shook her head. "Delilah, it's–" Her words were cut off by another explosion, this one much closer.

As soldiers rushed around them and makos rumbled to life, Delilah sighed. This was no place for a conversation, not even to say goodbye, and they were out of time. Knowing they only had moments left before they were needed again, Delilah reached for Ash and pulled her into a deep kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _prompt: wanna dance?_  
>  set at some vague point at the end of ME3, after the Citadel dates

Delilah finally gave up on her workout when her hair fell entirely out of her ponytail, the bright pink elastic falling to the floor. Sweeping her hair back into a loose ponytail, she wiped at her sweat-covered brow with her thin Alliance tanktop before shedding the shirt entirely, tossing it onto the floor.

Left only in a lilac sports bra and the bottom half of her fatigues, Delilah took a long swig from her water bottle and headed to the front room, hoping Ash had remembered to close the blinds before leaving. She found, however, that Ash hadn't left.

Instead, still in the shorts and Delilah's oversized N7 shirt she'd slept in the night before, Ashley was in the front room dancing to a lively song with Miranda. Neither of the two women were particularly adept dancers, but they moved with grace and skill regardless.

Unable to keep herself from breaking out into a wide smile, Delilah slipped into the room and held out a hand. "May I cut in?"

Ash planted a kiss on Miranda's cheek, then grinned, "She's all yours."

But Delilah didn't take Miranda's hand, instead grabbing Ash before she could escape. "Miranda and I did plenty of dancing at that party yesterday. You and I just got wasted. You owe me a dance."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _prompt: the 11th_  
>  set late ME2, before the suicide mission

Eleven. That's how many lives were at stake.

Herself. Jacob. Mordin. Zaeed. Garrus. Jack. Kasumi. Samara. Tali. Thane.

_Miranda_.

Delilah swallowed back the familiar wave of nauseous anxiety that bubbled up within her at the thought of losing anyone in her squad. Part of her – a part she tried in vain to silence – reminded her that the feeling had little to do with her squad, and everything to do with the one woman holding it all together.

What had she called it? An idiotic bunch of hormones?

_Idiotic_ , indeed. If it weren't the middle of the night, Delilah was certain she'd march down to Miranda's office and – what? Confess her feelings? Kiss her? Admit how terrified she was of losing her?

All of the above?

Definitely all of the above.

Shoving her blankets to the side, Delilah called out, "EDI? Is Operative Lawson awake?"

"One moment." EDI was silent for several seconds. "She is currently speaking with Mr. Moreau in the mess hall." More silence. "She'd like me to tell you to sleep, and that you need to be rested for tomorrow's mission."

Delilah deflated, shoulders slumping as she curled back up under the covers. "Thanks, EDI. Tell her I will."

"Of course, Shepard."

But even as she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face back in her pillows, she knew she wouldn't get much rest. Images of Akuze would plague her all night, leaving her with one thought that had been gnawing away at her for weeks now – that this was another mission destined to leave her alone as the sole survivor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _prompt: above, there is an attic_  
>  set ME3, at some point after the coup

"Ash?"

Delilah and Ashley both turn to look at Miranda, Delilah looking up from the novel on her datapad and Ash twisting from where she's sprawled out between other two women, mumbling out a tired, "What?"

Miranda says nothing for a moment, biting at her lip with worry. "What was it like? Growing up with a house full of sisters?"

A concerned glance passes between Ash and Delilah. _She's worried about Oriana again._

"Loud," she offers finally, "and there's _always_ someone in the bathroom in the mornings."

"And the _clothes_ ," Delilah adds without thinking. "Nothing is ever where you expect it to be, and you're always getting mad at each other for stealing each others' clothes."

Ash glances up at Delilah with thinly veiled confusion, but Miranda simply offers a quiet, "You've never spoken about your family much."

Her fingers skim the edges of the datapad, half nervous energy and half an attempt to stall for time to decide on a response. "I had two sisters," she admits finally. "One was older, about eighteen when I met her – out of the foster system, just like me. The other was only a few months older than me. She… It crushed her, when I left."

The tired, lazy mood of the cabin had disappeared, replaced with a sudden hesitancy. Ash is the first to speak up, voice intentionally lighthearted and teasing. "Okay, but did you ever have to share a closet? You can't _really_ complain about sharing clothes until they're all in the same closet to begin with."

"No, we each had our own rooms." Delilah can't hold back her smile; _family_ isn't something she'd ever thought she'd miss. "It was a small house, but part of the attic was converted into an additional bedroom. I was offered a full room after my older sister moved to college, but I liked my room. It was like it was hidden away, all by itself."

Miranda cracks a wry smile. "So you _have_ always had a ridiculous imagination."

"Not _ridiculous_ ," she shoots back, not missing a beat. "It made it easier to sneak out."

Ash barely contains a giggle, rolling to bury her face in a pillow to stifle her laughter. Looking back up, she grins, "I _know_ you were supposed to be some badass gangster back on Earth, but I can smell your perfume from here, we all know you're reading a romance novel, and ten credits says you've got lacy underwear on."

With a sigh, Delilah rolls her eyes. "You're one to talk, Miss Poetry."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this actually came from a character development ask meme question about what a doll of your character would look like, and well, combined with the shep VI in 2 and 3 I couldn't resist
> 
> set ME3, after the citadel dlc

Delilah was seated on the couch, reading a "special wartime edition" of the latest book in her favorite romance series when both Ashley and Miranda snuck back into the apartment.

They froze at the door, whispering conspiratorially before approaching Delilah. Ash held something behind her back, grinning. "Happy birthday two-point-oh."

Cocking an eyebrow, Delilah set her datapad aside. "What?"

"Today marks the anniversary of when you woke up," Miranda clarified.

"The cake won't be ready until tomorrow, but the _present_ ," Ash announced, revealing a brightly-wrapped box, "is ready now."

Still suspicious of their intentions, Delilah took the box and tugged at the paper, revealing a bright blue box containing… _her_. Or rather, a doll of her. " _Commander Delilah Shepard, now with civilian accessories_ ," she read off the box, turning it over in her hands. On the back was a diagram with two pictures of the Delilah figure; one was dressed in armor, holding a gun in one hand and a badly-replicated omni-tool in the other, while the second figure was dressed in a light blue sundress and white sandals, with a purse and oversized hairbrush.

Delilah glanced back up at Ash and Miranda. "Thanks," she deadpanned.

With a little smirk, Miranda took the box from Delilah. "You missed the best part." She tugged the armored doll from the box and pressed a small button on the back.

" _I win fights by having more bullets than the other guy."_

Miranda pressed the button again.

" _I take care of punks like you on the way to_ real _problems."_

She pressed it again.

" _Wanna have the galaxy's leaders in your debt? Now you can! Join the Alliance today."_

Certain she'd made her point, Miranda offered the doll back to Delilah. "Apparently the 'civilian mode' criticizes people's fashion sense and asks about the latest season of that cooking show you like."

Staring down at the doll, Delilah scoffed. "At least they captured my personality fairly well."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _prompt: wanderer on a scorched path_  
>  set at the veeeery end of ME3

It was raining fire.

More accurately, the Crucible was exploding behind Delilah; the shattered conduit she'd spent the last several moments emptying her pistol into had erupted with enormous force, sending a heat wave rolling across the narrow pathways of the Crucible and knocking Delilah backwards.

She'd barely had the strength to walk down the paths in the first place, but now adrenaline coursed through her and she pulled herself to her feet.

"Evac! I need–"

A massive piece of debris from the Citadel slammed into the path beside Delilah, sending her stumbling forwards. She caught herself before she fell, but her left arm buckled beneath her; if it hadn't been broken before, it was now.

Between her heavy breathing and shaky cursing and the collapsing Citadel, she nearly missed Ashley's voice on the comm line.

"Shepard!"

"Evac," Delilah repeated, voice hoarse. "The Crucible is coming down on top of me. I need an evac _now_!"

"We'll get someone in there! Joker's taking us in." For a moment, the only sound on the line was Ash's unsteady breathing. "Oh, _God_ , Delilah. Just… hang on."

Miranda's voice joined Ash's on the comm line. "We're coming, but it's going to be close. Delilah…"

Another explosion shook the Crucible, sending Delilah sprawling out on her back. Pain shot through her chest, sending her vision swimming.

" _Dammit_. The whole place is tearing apart."

"You have to turn around." Delilah squeezed her eyes shut, gasping as another rumble shook the platform. _No time. There's no time. Not for me – but they'll be safe. Oh, God_ please _, let them be safe._

"We're not leaving you. Not again," Ashley insisted.

"Go." Delilah didn't have the strength or the breath for all the confessions and declarations she wanted to make. "Just–" There was an abrupt explosion from the other end of the line, then only static. If she could've, she would've cursed. Instead, Delilah laid still on the platform, waiting.

_It's been a damn good ride._


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _prompt: coming home_  
>  set early ME2

The ship was quiet; Delilah could hear little more than the hum of the engines and the occasional cough or footsteps from the few crew members still awake. She stared down at the cargo hold, fingers tapping along the railing.

It was all wrong.

Seeing the Normandy like this – familiar and unfamiliar at the same time – was unsettling. Having a full deck for the crew quarters was nice, as was her new cabin. But it wasn't _her_ ship.

Just like Delilah, Cerberus had brought the Normandy back just a little different than it had been before. Better than it had been before, certainly – but _different_.

The panel beside her lit up, and EDI's blue display popped up. "Can I help you, Commander?"

She shook her head. _Better, but different_. "Just needed some time alone. I have to… relearn the Normandy."

"I can provide a list of specs and upgrades, if you would like."

Delilah couldn't help but give a little laugh; as much as EDI did seem like an intruder aboard her ship, Delilah was quickly growing attached to her. "No, I don't mean like that." She leaned forward, resting her forearms on the railing and sighing. "It used to feel like home and now I practically need a map to get back to my quarters."

"If you require assistance–" EDI stopped abruptly, her display idling for a moment. "That was a joke," she asserted.

"Yeah. But don't worry EDI, if I need something, I'll come straight to you."

"Of course, Commander. I will be here." Her display flickered out.

Turning to the elevator, Delilah found herself smiling. She was stuck with her cybernetics, the Normandy was stuck with an extra crew deck – but they'd manage. Besides, they still had Joker, and he was adjusting just fine.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _prompt: please, let's go home _  
> set post-ME3__

"EDI says she'll have the Normandy's systems up and running within the hour. Cortez and Tali have nearly finished with repairs, and now that Garrus is well enough to help out, we'll be ready to head back by nightfall."

Ashley says nothing, staring out into the dense jungle surrounding the Normandy. Like most of the Normandy crew, she's shed her shirt, left in only a black sports bra and the bottom half of her fatigues. Still silent, she wipes at the sweat on her brow.

"Comms are still down," Miranda continues, crossing her arms. "Traynor and I are hoping it's just the atmosphere here, but…" She bites at her lip. "Whatever the pulse from the Citadel was, it fried most of our electronics."

They're silent for several more moments; just as Miranda is about to make an excuse to try and get Ash back into the Normandy and out of the sun, Ash says quietly, "She's still out there."

"I know."

Ash's jaw clenches, and tears well up in her eyes. "Dammit. It's not fair." She wipes at the tears angrily, giving a rough, bitter laugh. "Why lose her once when I can lose her twice, right?"

Miranda steps in front of her, gently wiping away the tears spilling onto Ash's cheek with her thumb. Pushing up onto her toes, she places a light kiss to Ash's brow before pulling her into a tight hug, despite the heat and humidity.

"Let's just… let's just go home."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tumblr prompt: the way you said i love you: Muffled, from the other side of the door  
> set during the suicide mission

“Not the worst speech I’ve heard.” Miranda’s smiling as she says it – there’s pain in her eyes and blood smeared on her cheek and her voice almost wavers, but it’s the first smile Delilah’s seen on her since they left for the Omega-4 relay.

“I left my notecards on the ship.” She feels some of the tension ease from her shoulders; it returns as soon as she glances towards the rest of her squad, but for a moment Delilah almost thinks they have a chance of making it out alive. “Miranda…” She pauses, throat going dry at the thought of walking away. “I trust you. I know the rest of the team is in good hands with you leading them, but…”

The smile falters, and worry flashes across Miranda’s face before being smoothed out into an expression of cool professionalism. “We can hold this area. Go on,” she encourages, resting a hand on Delilah’s arm.

Even such a small display of affection sends Delilah’s heart racing; she hadn’t ever been planning on going _easy_ on the Collectors, but she would tear their base apart with her bare hands for the chance to return to Miranda. “We’re blowing this place to hell,” she promises, “then the two of us are taking a long vacation somewhere nice.” 

There’s more she wants to say but they’re running out of time, and EDI’s voice over comms has the rest of the squad ready to go; she leaves Miranda with a kiss – another promise – and joins Samara at the newly opened door that leads to the swarm-filled halls. 

The doors close before Delilah finds her voice again, and the last thing she sees is Miranda, blue eyes focused entirely on the quickly vanishing opening. “Stay safe,” Delilah calls out at the last minute, not entirely sure anyone on the other side could even hear.

“You too, Commander.” Miranda’s voice is muted, but the words are clear even through the static beginning to come through the earpieces. “And, Delilah – I love you. Come back safe.”

They’ve discussed this – _love_ – and skirted around the concept as it related to the two of them, and Delilah knows it’s just the combination of fear and adrenaline that pulls the confession from Miranda. But her own heart is pounding, and the words draw both elation and terror from her – it’s just the fear and adrenaline from the mission, she tells herself.

And if it _isn’t_ , if it’s something more, then they’ll have plenty of time to discuss the possibilities after the mission. They’ll both get out alive, and for the first time, Delilah’s entirely certain of that.


End file.
